Brett Favre

Although his career did not end on the best of terms, Brett Favre remains one of the most intriguing and popular football players of all-time. His gunslinging mindset, laid-back personality and many NFL accolades combine to make him a collector favorite. Because of this, Brett Favre cards and autographs continue to see strong interest from the hobby.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Brett Favre accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Southern Mississippi. The team originally wanted to play him as a defensive back, but Favre decided to stay at quarterback. Despite being buried on the depth chart, he quickly worked his way to starter as a freshman and would remain the Southern Miss quarterback for his entire collegiate career.

After graduating from USM, Brett Favre entered his name for the 1991 NFL Draft. Although he is mostly thought of as a member the Green Bay Packers, Favre was actually selected early in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons. His rookie season was hardly noteworthy and Favre spent almost the whole year on the bench. After the season ended, Atlanta traded Favre to Green Bay.

It was in Green Bay that Brett Favre emerged as an elite quarterback. He helped lead the team back to regular playoff contention and took them to two Super Bowl appearances, including a win in Super Bowl XXXI to end the 1996 season. Later in his career, retirement speculation became a yearly tradition and eventually Brett Favre retired in 2008. This would be the first of several retirements and would result in additional stints with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. His final retirement came following the 2010 season.

Brett Favre ended his career as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history. In addition to holding the league record in touchdown passes, passing yards, completions, and wins, Favre was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and was the NFL MVP for three consecutive years (1995-1997). Perhaps most impressive, Brett Favre was arguably one of the most durable football players of the modern era, and he started every game from 1992 until late in the 2010 season. This equals 297 consecutive regular season games, and that number goes up to 321 if you include playoff games.

While they came during the overproduced era of 1990's football cards, Brett Favre rookie cards remain a popular option for collectors. There are eight official cards from 1991 and all are fairly easy to find. Prices are kept in check by the high print runs, but gem mint copies still command a considerable premium. In addition, two other options from 1991 and one from 1992, have caught the eye of collectors.

1991 Pacific is good reminder of how bad card designs were during this time. The pink shading and unfortunate text choice for the name is still overshadowed by the bizarre facial expression captured in the image of Brett Favre.

Pro Set is "THE OFFICIAL NFL CARD." In case you ever forget this, they have conveniently placed that information on the front of the card. Outside of that and the text box at the bottom, this is a very plain card. There is also a Spanish version, which looks virtually the same as the regular card except it is written in Spanish and features a different number (#262).

As simple as the Pro Set card looks, Pro Set Platinum take that even further. Without a text box, this Brett Favre Rookie card is one silver circle logo away from being just a photo. If it were not for the "4" jersey and familiar stance, you might not even know it was Brett Favre's rookie card.

It is easy to forget that Brett Favre was relatively unknown outside of the Gulf Coast region in 1991. While his name is pronounced "Farve," it is actually spelled "Favre." 1991 Stadium Club never got that memo and this error card still carries the misspelled name. The card does maintain solid value, but the Super Bowl XXVI parallel represents a premium collectible. The partial parallel cards were distributed at the 1992 NFL Experience in Minneapolis. The card is identical to the regular card except for an embossed Super Bowl XXVI logo in the top corner.

While the image shown may not be a fan favorite, 1991 Upper Deck provides the most accurate picture of Brett Favre's rookie season.

Other Notable Early Brett Favre Cards

Collectors are not just limited to the eight official Brett Favre rookie cards. While they are not all NFL licensed, several additional first year cards are available and have proven to be popular with collectors. Two of the top options are noted below as well as an NFL licensed, second-year card.

Although it was not an NFL licensed card, 1991 Star Pics has the distinction of being the very first Brett Favre autograph card. Favre elected to sign many of the cards on the back, possibly to make sure collectors noticed his awesome headshot. It is important to note that the only thing that distinguished autographed cards from the base versions is the signature and the sticker. Because of this, it is not uncommon for stickers to be removed from other cards and added to a forged Brett Favre card.

1991 Wild Card Stripes brought collectors one of the most captivating early card concepts. While the base card had an icon that was titled "1st Edition," Stripe parallel cards included a literal stripe with a specific number, including 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 1,000 versions. Collectors could redeem the Stripe cards for base versions of the player, totaling the amount listed on the card. While the redemption aspect has long expired, the cards still hold value, with the rare 1,000 version selling for insane amounts.

Second-year card do not normally hold much value, but when talking about Brett Favre cards, 1992 Stadium Club is the exception. The main reason for this is the that 1992 Stadium Club was issued in three series. Although the first two releases each included 300 cards and a normal print run, the final release was a 100-card high series. Brett Favre was included in this final series, which featured a much lower print run. As an added bonus for collectors, the card shows Brett Favre in the familiar green of the Packers color scheme, and this time, Stadium Club even got his name right.

Brett Favre Autographed Memorabilia Buying Guide

Below you will find an example of what Brett Favre's authentic signature looks like. This can be used as a first point of reference for determining the legitimacy of autograph memorabilia, but is not a substitute for having your items authenticated by a well-respected professional autograph authentication company. Some of the trusted sources within the sports memorabilia market include the following companies: PSA, JSA, Tristar, and Mounted Memories.

Brett Favre Cut Signature Exemplar

Brett Favre Key Signature Attributes: An authentic Brett Favre signature autograph will exhibit several distinguishing characteristics, depending on when in his career the item was signed. Other characteristics that play into his signature style are the particular item and venue. Look for the following signature features:

The signature begins with an exaggerated "B" that starts with a large swoop, similar to a "P," and finishing with a downward loop.

The "B" immediately transitions to the cursive "r-e-t-t," with all letters generally distinguishable.

For the last name, the signature starts with an "F" that resembles a 7. The second line on the "F"crosses into the "a."

After the "a," the remaining letters are a little more jumbled, and "r-v-e" blends together and finishes with a large rounded loop that comes back around to connect.

Trey Treutel | E-Mail Author |
Trey Treutel is an Ole Miss grad and a lifelong sports fanatic. He is a huge fan of the NBA and NFL, as well as soccer, college basketball and college football. As a kid, he collected football and basketball cards. As an adult, he started collecting basketball cards again on a whim and has since expanded to other sports and entertainment options. Find Trey on Twitter at @datreute.

User Comments

Synchrinosity! I just recently completed a Favre rookie complete set and shared my set on CCW’s “Football Showcase”. Trey, as you mentioned in terms of cost, I still lack the ’91 SC SB and most of the Wild Card Stripes. I was able to obtain a 10 Stripe BG 8.5 for a mere $10.00. The other Stripes will take time and money. Thank you very much in this article. I am a huge fan of Favre, I look to him as an example of an individual that works hard and still has fun doing it. Kept up the fantastic job!

I almost forgot, Trey, at your convenience, click on my link below. You’ll be able to view my complete Brett Favre rookie cards under the heading on the left side. My cards are organized by NFL teams and specialty cards. The Favre rookie set is under the 1991 Brett Favre Complete Rookie Cards.

Toshi » It is still a hotly-debated topic, but basically, cards that are not NFL-licensed are not generally considered to be true rookies. Classic was a card company on the same lines as Press Pass is today. This is also why his Star Pics and Wild Card options are not considered to be official rookie cards. It does not mean there is anything wrong with them, and they are very popular with collectors.

Thank you for the information. In CCW’s forum, I tout the “There is no wrong way to collect sports cards”, mantra. I do agree with the issues of the non NFL lisc. scenario. Still, I enjoy this hobby. Once again, thank you.